SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • MARCH 4, 2020 | VOLUME 105 | ISSUE 20
CORONAVIRUS PG 3
HATTIESBURG SPEEDWAY PG 5
STAFF EDITORIAL PG 8
The Southern Miss volleyball team plays a game in the new facility.
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Embattled welfare group paid $5 million for new USM volleyball center ANNA WOLFE
MISSISSIPPI TODAY ohn Jones doesn’t play volleyball. The elderly construction worker mostly bides his time during the cold, rainy months — the slow season for his employer, which builds swimming pools. Right now, Jones can’t afford to turn on the electricity or water at his downtown Hattiesburg home. Every time he visits the local utility assistance agency, he said, “They keep giving me the run around.” And yet, three miles west of his deteriorating neighborhood, a nonprofit funded by federal welfare dollars paid $5 million in cash to build a state-of-theart volleyball facility on the University of Southern Mississippi campus. The nonprofit said it would serve the poor. “How in the world is the volleyball court going to help struggling families? How does that help them get the job training they need?” said Oleta Fitzgerald, longtime director of the Children Defense Fund’s Southern Regional Office. A college town of 46,500 people, Hattiesburg has a poverty rate almost double the state average, despite having a lower unemployment rate.
“They didn’t even make a good attempt to connect this money to the needs of these families,” Fitzgerald said. The Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit that receives a majority of its budget from taxpayer dollars intended to help people out of poverty, provided most of the funding for the volleyball center through an upfront five-year sublease agreement with the University’s athletic foundation. The nonprofit owner, Nancy New, sat on the athletic foundation’s board. The university modified plans to the facility, called the Wellness Center, so that it would include office space for the organization. One of the university’s celebrated alumni, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, was credited in local news reports with raising funds to build the $7 million center. Favre’s daughter plays volleyball at Southern, this year on the beach volleyball team. University spokesperson James Coll said in a statement that individual donors, in addition to the $5 million from the nonprofit, contributed to the construction. Under the 2017 lease agreement, obtained by Mississippi Today, the Mississippi Community Education Center rented all university athletic facilities “for various activities that benefit the area’s underserved population,” but one former employee said that never happened and by Thursday, after
over a week of inquiry, the university had still not explained what the nonprofit accomplished on campus. The nonprofit, under ongoing investigation in connection with the largest public embezzlement scheme in state history, has now closed its offices. The organization’s expansion began shortly after John Davis, a longtime Mississippi Department of Human Services official, became the agency’s director in 2016. That year, expenditure reports show, the department began issuing multi-million dollar lump sum payments to the Mississippi Community Education Center, the nonprofit founded by politically connected private education contractor Nancy New. However, Davis did not make New report how her organization spent the money — now more than $65 million since 2016, according to a review of state agency expenditure reports. “They’re taking from the needy and giving it to people that don’t need it. That’s what it is,” Jones said. New’s nonprofit did not give direct assistance to working folks like Jones, but offered parenting and fatherhood classes, motivational speaking events with retired athletes and health and wellness programs such as boot camp-style fitness classes run by Paul Lacoste. The nonprofit contracted with another of
New’s companies, New Learning Resources Online, to provide online diploma programs to its partners, such as Phoenix Project. In early February, agents from the Mississippi auditor’s office arrested Davis, New and four others in connection with a conspiracy to steal more than $4 million in grant funds meant to serve the poor. They’ve pleaded not guilty. The alleged theft would explain what happened to just 7 percent of all funds Human Services gave the nonprofit since 2016. The state has very little accounting to show what happened to the rest. Most of the money came from a federal welfare program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which the federal government provides each state through a block grant for them to use as they wish — with few strings attached. Out of $135 million in 2018, Mississippi spent just five percent, or $7.3 million, on direct cash assistance to poor families. That year, Human Services gave six times that amount, almost $44 million, to Mississippi Community Education Center and another nonprofit, Family Resource Center of Northeast Mississippi, which together called their statewide outreach services “Families First for Mississippi.”
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Continued from PG. 1 The state did not enforce a provision in their state agreement to submit financial reports, especially with respect to the subgrants the nonprofits issued to other entities, including other public agencies like public school districts and community colleges. The outcome reports the state compiled from each nonprofit’s submitted data, which were meant to show how many people they served, contained nonsensical figures. The Family Resource Center has not been included in any criminal charges but the state did freeze funds to the organization in the aftermath of the arrests. The director of that organization, Christi Webb, did not return several calls from Mississippi Today. New did not return several calls to her cell phone and Mississippi Community Education Center programmatic director Steve Pickering did not respond by Thursday afternoon. U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson told Mississippi Today he is preparing to send a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which administers Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds federally, to ask that the agency review all expenditures under Mississippi’s program to determine if the state used the funds as intended. In late 2019, after Gov. Phil Bryant appointed a former FBI agent to head Human Services, the department revised its subgrantee manual and began requiring a competitive bid process for welfare subgrants to prevent abuse. Human Services released a video statement Thursday stressing that the agency employees who reported the fraud are now spearheading changes “to make sure these actions never happen again and the money goes to the people who need it,” said Danny Blanton, a spokesperson for the agency. As the state doled out money to subgrantees with little accountability, it approved fewer and fewer families for direct assistance. The program served less than 4 percent of children living in poverty in 2018. “We just beat down poor families with children who are struggling trying to make a living and these resources could’ve helped them to really get a foothold in an economic way, with child care and real job training,” Fitzgerald said. Wardette Price Jr., who lives a few miles southeast of campus, approached the local welfare agency, Pearl River Valley Opportunity Inc., a few years ago seeking help to find a place to live in order to get his daughter back from Child Protection Services. “I was in tears … I begged them, please, can you help me?” “You’re on the waiting list,” he said the agency told him. “So, I lost her.” Price, who has a disability, hasn’t seen his daughter in five years. The average two bedroom apartment in Hattiesburg is $768 monthly, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2019 “Out of Reach” report. To afford one, a person working full time would have to earn $14.77 an hour, more than double minimum wage. Downtown resident Angela Todd wondered if the large abandoned blue building across from her house on 7th Street could have been renovated to provide shelter for the area’s homeless people.
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“How many beds do you imagine they could put in there if they would have fixed it up? $5 million could have went towards a lot of stuff,” she said. Todd received direct cash assistance, $144 a month, many years ago when her three children were young. Today, she only receives food assistance, but because of a miscommunication within her recent recertification, she said she doesn’t think the state will issue her benefits next month. In November of 2016, Human Services made the first large, lump sum welfare payment on record — of $4.9 million — to Mississippi Community Education Center. Together the entities were operating under a subgrantee agreement of $1 million originally, but the nonprofit would receive at least $13 million in these advanced payments by the time the agency issued a new contract. Typically, vendors for the welfare program submit claims for reimbursement as opposed to receiving upfront payments, several subgrantees told Mississippi Today, making this arrangement all the more unusual. By the following October, Davis had signed a $21.5 million subgrant agreement with the nonprofit and sent payment of $3.5 million on Oct. 20, 2017. Six days later, New paid $5 million up front in cash to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation to rent all athletic facilities at her alma mater. She had sat on the foundation board during the 2016-2017 year. The five-year lease agreement said that the nonprofit “serves as a statewide family and community outreach initiative and requires access to facilities in the University’s area.” “They didn’t really offer programming on campus,” Meghan Burke, the former media coordinator for Mississippi Community Education Center’s Hattiesburg office from 2017 to 2019, said in a Facebook message to a Mississippi Today reporter. “They only went in to teach a few classes like financial literacy to college students but that was it.” Representatives from five local nonprofits that deliver similar services, including the Boys and Girls Club, echoed Burke, telling Mississippi Today they had also not heard that the nonprofit provided programming at University athletic facilities. “Nobody has any idea anything about that,” Blanton said when asked about the family outreach delivered at the university athletic facilities. “Nobody had any visibility on anything about a volleyball center.” “That’s the problem when you don’t go through the RFP process,” he said. Coll said in a statement that University and outside counsel, the attorney general’s office and the Institutes for Higher Learning board all approved the Wellness Center agreement. He added it is unlikely Mississippi Community Education Center will remain a partner. “The Southern Miss Athletic Foundation is looking forward to initiating conversations with the appropriate state agency and leaders about how its athletics facilities, including the Wellness Center, can be used to the benefit of Mississippi families and individuals in the spirit of the original agreement,” the statement said. The volleyball center’s development sheds new light on the relationship between Nancy New, her nonprofit and former NFL star and Mississippi native Brett Favre.
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A January Associated Press story discusses Favre’s role in the new volleyball facility. “It’s hard to get people to donate for volleyball. But we’ll be opening an $8 million facility that will be as good as any in the country at Southern Mississippi,” he said in the article. The Mississippi Community Education Center also allegedly gave $2.15 million of Mississippi welfare money to a concussion research and medical device company called Prevacus and its affiliate PreSolMD, according to the indictments against New and her son Zach New. Favre invested in Prevacus, sat on its advisory board in 2014 and has publicly endorsed the company, according to Prevacus releases and news reports. The company developed a nasal spray which, when used after a brain injury, stimulates brain cells through neurosteroids to reduce swelling, according to its website. PreSolMD, a similar cream that deters the impact of concussions, was to be released in December, according to a Facebook post by spine research company SpineMark Corporation, one of the only references to the company online. Favre, who suffered concussions during his career, has vocalized concerns about the long lasting impacts of the common sports injury and even recruited other highprofile athletes to join him in backing Prevacus. Favre, his agent Bus Cook, who also sat on Prevacus’ advisory board, and Prevacus and PreSolMD founder Dr. Jake Vanlandingham did not respond to several calls and text messages from Mississippi Today. State Auditor Shad White, who continues to investigate the welfare scheme he called a “sprawling conspiracy,” said he was aware of these connections but could not comment further on the direction of the investigation. Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, who is prosecuting the case, told Mississippi Today his office is interested in any instances where money intended to serve the poor was used for other purposes. University officials, including spokesperson Coll and athletic director Jeremy McClain, did not answer or return several phone calls or respond to requests for interviews about the volleyball center’s funding or Mississippi Community Education Center’s presence on campus. The athletic director at the time of the lease agreement, Jon Gilbert, one of the only people “that would have had the most direct involvement in the lease agreement,” Coll said in an email, and now director of athletics for East Carolina University, directed questions to Coll. Leigh Breal, who signed the agreement on behalf of the athletic foundation, did not return calls or messages. Mississippi Community Education Center’s Internal Revenue financial form shows it had revenues of $26.7 million in government grants in 2017, the most recent year available, up from $13 million in 2016 and $2.5 million in 2015. “It is very difficult to believe that someone received that big of a bump in resources and political patronage and the governor’s office would not have known about that,” Fitzgerald said. The financial report also says the organization ran a $5 million bingo operation — through which it reported a $23,099 loss. The nonprofit’s website lists an office at an Iuka bingo hall called Northpoint Bingo.
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Hattiesburg Zoo takes visitors back to Renaissance JACK MCCALLUM
ENTERTAINMENT/OPINION EDITOR eople of all ages went to the Hattiesburg Zoo from Feb. 29 to March 1 to craft candles, learn apothecary and watch Shakespearean theater at the yearly Renaissance Festival. The Hattiesburg Zoo was packed with families and lovers of the Renaissance during this familyfriendly weekend affair. With its past few years of rebuilding and rebranding, the Hattiesburg Zoo has created events like their Renaissance Festival to attract new visitors to its steadily-renovating zoo. The zoo hosted a number of booths that were decorated with dramatic fonts and vendors dressed in varying types of Renaissance garb. Apart from seeing the traditional zoo exhibits, festival visitors could get knighted at an event that took place at the end of both days. Visitors who wished to be knighted had to watch a play at Queen’s Court, learn a trade at the Crafting Circle, hit a target with an arrow at Ye Olde Games and get off icials’ signatures at each station. Senior elementary education major Ashleigh Jambon was one of the actors who got to sign soon-tobe knights’ papers after f inishing her performance in a mashup of “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Jambon, along with Southern Miss alumnus Aaron Maliden, acted in the lead male and female roles of the 10-minute Shakespearean mashup that was performed at the top of every hour. “It’s really fun being here and seeing all the costumes and all the kids dressing up. After we do our show, everyone comes up to get signatures and sometimes they want pictures and sometimes they just hug you because you’re a princess,” Jambon said. “They don’t understand what you’re saying, but they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re famous. They’re on stage.’ It’s so cute.” Maliden, Jambon’s scene partner, had similar comments about the event. “It’s good to be able to keep acting and have the zoo that constantly does things like this to kind of draw the community in, I’ve always appreciated that,” Maliden said. “They’ve done a really good job at throwing events, bringing people in and sort of fostering that community.” People from across the state came out to the Hattiesburg Zoo just for this weekend of Renaissance-related attractions. Dressed in a dark velvet cloak for the occasion, Mary Snowden who is from Meridian, said she thought the Renaissance Festival would be a fun time to dress up and experience her f irst trip to the Hattiesburg Zoo. “I’ve been saying I’ve been wanting to come to the zoo down here for a few years now, and I just never got down here, but today we did,” Snowden said. “I had a really good time looking
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Ashleigh Jambon and Aaron Maliden perform at the Hattiesburg Zoo Renaissance Festival.
at the lemurs play because they’re having such fun today. All the animals seem to be out because it’s just such a pretty day.” Apart from theater-watching, candle-making and apothecarylearning, visitors could drink enchanted tea, eat a giant turkey leg, watch a hoop show, learn the art of butter churning and more. While the event may have been kid-centric, it had something to do for all ages, with its inclusion of a wine tasting room
and the alcoholic beverage station located right beside Queen’s Court, where the plays took place. Hattiesburg Zoo held this year’s Renaissance Festival while the underconstruction giraffe exhibit nears completion, expected to be open to the public by the end of 2020. For Snowden, it might mean another visit is coming up soon. “The zoo is pretty nice. I’m really excited for the giraffe exhibit coming,” Snowden said.
Southern Miss reacts to chorale return, coronavirus fear LILLIE BUSCH
FEATURES EDITOR Illustration by Alexandria Moore | Printz
he Southern Chorale students performed at the Jeju International Choral Symposium in South Korea last week. The group returned on Sunday, Feb. 23. The following Monday, CDC announced a Level 3 traveling advisory, which recommends nonessential travel to South Korea. On Feb. 28, Southern Miss issued travel restrictions for all university faculty, staff and students to countries under Level 3 or Level 4 advisories. In the same Feb. 28 press release, Southern Miss also released a statement concerning the coronavirus fears on campus. According to the statement, no chorale students have reported symptoms, but are encouraged to self-monitor for 14 days. The students have been described as being at low risk. Despite the press release, concerns continue to rise about the group potentially contracting the coronavirus and bringing it to Mississippi. There has not yet been a coronavirus outbreak in the state. “It is hard to predict the chances [of Southern
Chorale contracting the virus] without knowing their traveling history, whom they contacted, whether they have been the epicenter of South Korea,” Fengwei Bai, Ph.D., said. Bai works at Southern Miss as an associate professor in cell and molecular biology. Bai is also currently researching the coronavirus, which he described as having a fatality rate of less than 3%. He also said that most of the patients who died from the virus were older than 60 years old, or had pre-existing conditions that compromised their immunity. “Since the CDC considers the risk of transmission of viruses in the U.S. to be low at this time, the general population should not panic but necessary cautions should be taken. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus,” Bai said. Senior business management and economics major Rida Hassan-Bailey said she’s slightly worried about being exposed to the virus. “I’m a little scared, but not so much because I’m making sure I take all the necessary precautions. Also, because our age range is generally safe,” Hassan-Bailey said. “I think students should calm down, because it’s not going to be that bad for most people our age. But when you spread paranoia, you negatively impact the mental health of all students who are immune-compromised.” One Southern Chorale student stated that the committee overseeing the international festival
took precautionary efforts to prevent the potential spread of the coronavirus. The student requested to remain anonymous. “At the performance hall, they maintained a single entrance with two people in masks and gloves pumping hand sanitizer onto the hands of everyone as they entered. There was also a thermal camera that was manned at all times to detect any irregularities in body temperatures for possible fevers,” the student said. The student also described the international festival as a “wonderful, truly once-in-a-lifetime experience,” even in spite of the coronavirus threat. The Southern Chorale celebrated returning to the United States with a free concert on Sunday at the Bay Street Presbyterian Church.
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Southern Miss students share mixed views on Sen. Sanders LAUREL THRAILKILL PRINTZ REPORTER
ernie Sanders, a Democratic senator from Vermont, is turning heads in light of his landslide victory in Nevada. The New York Times and other publications have awarded Sanders the title of nominal frontrunner. Even in Mississippi, support for Sanders can be found. Sanders supporter and Mississippi resident Chelsea Howard said she sees Sanders’ recent victories as a promising start to a long and competitive campaign. “People often dismiss him because they don’t believe a better world is possible,” Howard said. “I don’t think what he is fighting for is radical at all. Healthcare, criminal justice reform, debt-free college, high-speed internet expansions. I think these are all practical and realistic ways to make a better world.” Howard said she thinks Sanders’ policies could improve the lives of many Mississippians. “The harder challenge to overcome is the centrist mindset that I personally feel tells us, ‘A better world is possible, just not now,’ to which I would say, ‘Why not now,’” Howard said. Howard, who has been organizing on a grassroots level and attending events in Jackson and Memphis, said Sanders’ victories are the start of a grassroots political revolution. “I don’t have time to second-guess that he may not win,” Howard said. “I have to do everything in my power to ensure he does.” While Howard remains optimistic about
Sanders’ chances, not everyone is supportive of the senator. Junior hospitality and tourism major, Elise Motes, said she thinks Bernie Sanders is too radical to win the 2020 presidency. “I do not think he has the following of such magnitudes as President Trump and Pete Buttigieg,” Motes said. Buttigieg is no longer running as of March 1. Motes said while she likes the idea of a system that helps struggling people get back on their feet, it can be taken advantage of. “For me at least, I am not comfortable with the policies and programs that Bernie has planned for our country,” Motes said. Motes added that she is open to changing her opinions given relevant information. Mississippi resident Tracy Tolman has been a Sanders supporter since 2015, when he first ran for president. “I am very optimistic that Bernie will be the Democratic nominee and win in November,” Tolman said. Regarding the challenges of garnering support for Sanders in Mississippi, Tolman said she sees it not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. “We are unique in that we identify with the movement and the issues rather than with a party or even our chosen candidates,” Tolman said. “That perspective allows us to build bridges rather than walls. People are attracted to our campaign because we see them and acknowledge their struggle.” Sanders is currently in the lead with 58 delegates, but only time will tell if Sanders will become the Democratic nominee for president.
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Southern Miss voted ninth most military friendly college MICHAEL MAPP PRINTZ REPORTER
he website Military Friendly ranks every college in America on how well they serve veteran and service member students. For the 2020-21 list, The University of Southern Mississippi made it into the top 10. The website assesses each school based on six criteria, and Southern Miss scored 100% on all of them. Military Times’ “Best for Vets: Colleges 2020” list also puts Southern Miss at No. 9. A lot goes into making a Southern Miss the kind of school where veterans and service members feel welcome. Most of it comes down to human interaction and hard work. Sean McCraw, a junior anthropology major, is a veteran student who goes through the Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families to receive benef its from the G.I. Bill program. “Who represents veterans is key. It’s the people you hire. Here, they work for me,” McCraw said. McCraw said Southern Miss works for veteran students more than other colleges. “At [the other college I attended,] I had to f ill out forms for the G.I. Bill once a month, but at Southern, I’ve only had to meet with Michael McGee, the veteran outreach coordinator, twice in person,” McCraw said. “People here know how to do the job. The difference between here and other colleges is night and day.”
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Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond is the director of the Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families. He said the off ice staff is the reason for the center’s success. “We work hard to f ind success. We eat, sleep and breathe that,” Hammond said. “We have a VA employee whose full-time job is to help veterans f ind jobs. Also, we have a program called Textbooks for Troops. At the end of the spring semester, you can donate your
textbooks to the Center for Veterans.” The Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families tries to take care of G.I. Bill paperwork and other things for veteran and military aff iliated students, so that the students can focus on their busy schedule. Hammond said that No. 9 is great, but their goal is to get Southern Miss into the top f ive. Capt. Allen Smith of the Air Force ROTC detachment 432 expanded
on what makes Southern Miss so compatible with the military. “Having a presence on campus [is important]. We have a bigger student body that is in uniform. Yesterday we were out in the f ield doing military crawls. The more you see that, the more it looks normal,” Smith said. “To be able to use the campus to teach our cadets, but also getting the awareness out on campus that you have a military presence here, it helps out a lot.”
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Theatre professor talks life, changes JOHN HOLLINS
PRINTZ REPORTER hen not teaching class or helping a theatre student work through a design, professor Stephen Judd can be found working in his office with the door slightly cracked open. The board beside his door has welcoming pleasantries beside a big red-and-black United Campus Workers Union sticker. Although Judd might not always be the first in the building, he is often the last to leave. Judd is one of the oldest theatre professors on staff and has taught stage design at Southern Miss for more than two decades. However, he has not conceded to teaching just yet. Recently, Judd worked as the stage designer for the Southern Miss production of “Ah! Wilderness!” His job included months of research and collaborations with fellow designers and the director to recreate a stylized early 1900s home. This long process has become second nature to Judd, but getting to such a level had its costs. “I was born in Harristown, Maryland, but I moved away from there when I was three-weeksold. My dad was in the military, so I got used to moving every one to three years. And as a kid, my parent’s families lived on both coasts, so every summer my dad would get a 30-day leave and we would travel the country by car. I loved that. I felt I grew up in the back of the car,” Judd said. Despite the bohemian-like beginnings, his exposure to anything art and theatre did not come until high school. Despite being a jock in high school, Judd developed a passion for scripts, particularly Shakespeare. Eventually, he tried his hand at acting. In college, Judd’s undergraduate years were
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during a metamorphic period in the world. Vietnam was going strong, and the United States’ civil rights movement was on the rise. Judd invested himself in writings from figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and novels on Mexican and Chicano liberation. “I was really wrestling with those ideas, like how we live in the world and what we do,” Judd said. Theatre came back into Judd’s life after a friend asked him to direct a scene from “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. The role he was offered was Judge Danforth, a kind of tyrannical-religious
fanatic. “I know in a sense he was kind of type-casting me, and at the same time he was trying to sort of wake me up a little bit. So, I did the role, like I really bit the head of the snake. It was like, ‘Oh my God, I really love this. This is fantastic,” Judd said. Afterward, Judd swapped from theology to theatre. He hurled himself into every theatre course or show he was allowed to take, much to the detriment of his other courses. He grew invested in every aspect of theatre from design, make-up and acting.
After studying design at the University of Georgia, Judd’s resume expanded. He worked for a commercial theatre, which included designing work for Disney shows, the Maryland Ballet and local colleges. Eventually, he began to miss academia and returned to university to become a teacher. Lou Rackoff, the theatre department’s directing professor, has worked with Judd for over 15 years. Their collaborations have developed a relationship that many artists in theatre hope to obtain. “One thing that happens right away is that a short-hand develops. If you work with someone many times, they might show an image for an idea for the show. Let’s say a color, or style, some image. What you read from that gets more mature the longer you know someone,” Rackoff said. Claire Brenia is a junior in scenic design. Brenia first began designing with Judd on the musical “Bullrusher.” “He was a great springboard for ideas. We’d sit down and have discussions on how I’m seeing the set, thought and ideas I’m envisioning, which really help me tailor them into an actualization because sometimes you just have these abstract ideas you can’t really translate into a physical world. He’s really good at guiding us to do it subtly,” Brenia said. The ideas of rethinking and change are crucial to Judd, as his own life has left him witness to so much transformation. “Someone like me, I’m pretty representative of my generation. I was born in 1951, and that generation is one that went through huge changes. The civil rights movement, then the free speech movement, which happened while I was still in college. Of course, Vietnam, and then the gay and lesbian movement. If I look at my life, my life is a series of transformations because I was always in a place where I had to confront them, or they confronted me,” Judd said.
Speedway family discusses legacy LILLIE BUSCH
FEATURES EDITOR here is no sign for the arena on a dirt road off US-49. In the daylight, the Hattiesburg speedway looks like nothing spectacular: a ¼ mile red dirt track, steel bleachers, and an announcer’s stand painted dusty white. Unlit lamps stand like watchmen. However, in the nighttime, all of that changes with the first roaring engine. The culture of Southern racing is entrenched in the trifecta of American patriotism: the flag, the national anthem and the pledge. Most of all, however, racing emphasizes family and community. The Hattiesburg speedway, run by the Parker family, is no different. Donald Parker, 54 years old, owns the historic 1974 speedway, along with his wife, Kelli Parker. They’ve owned the track for the past seven years. “That’s the biggest reason we own the track: seeing the sport of racing dying. We were both born into racing. Her [Kelli Parker’s] daddy raced, my daddy raced, my grandpa raced. It’s just a generation of racing family. We’ve been trying to make a difference,” Donald Parker said. Parker raced until he was 48 years old. “Racing has just basically been our whole life.” Donald Parker’s children are continuing the tradition. “I got two stepkids, and I got two sons of my own. They’ve all been a part of racing. My oldest son has raced cars and go-karts, and my youngest son races go-karts. We’ve been trying to get him a car,” Parker explained. However, one of the most impressive Parker legacies is J.D. Parker, Donald Parker’s father. Lizana native J.D. Parker is a retired pipe welder, but also a Mississippi legend in the sprint-car circuit. He won over 500 feature races while competing throughout the Southeast. His orange sprint car, painted with the number 12, is enshrined at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson. “I did racing for 40 years. I turned down NASCAR. I
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figured my family comes first,” J.D. Parker said. “I enjoy racing. I did. My son got sick, and I quit. And I went out there one night to help a feller that got killed. So, there went my career.” After retiring from both welding and racing, J.D. Parker now can be found on Friday nights collecting raffle tickets with his wife, Darce Parker. Racing, with its costs and lingo, can be difficult to penetrate. For individuals wanting to watch racing or to race themselves, Parker recommended that the first step should be street racing. “Go from there,” he said. “Most of them young [racers] started off with at my son’s go-kart track in Gulfport.” A common fear with racing is the threat of injury, whether on or off the track. Many famous careers have
ended because of injury or death. J.D. Parker himself was injured in a crash in 1984. Donald Parker was hurt in 2018. “You can get hurt with anything,” Donald Parker said. “At least with a race car, you take an extra precaution.” When considering young racers, Parker said he looks at both the skill and maturity. He said that he prefers the minor to at least have a driver’s license. As with any sport, friendly rivalries are fun to watch whether on or off the track, especially on the local circuit. When asked about whether or not there were rivalries at the Hattiesburg speedway, J.D. Parker said there were. “Most of the time, [bumps or crashes are] an accident, but most of them aren’t lookin’ at where they’re goin’. You can’t drive a car layin’ down. Most people can’t stand up and sleep,” J.D. Parker said and laughed.
The Parker family’s love and respect for racing also extends to the fans, most of which are families. On Friday nights, the steel bleachers are filled with adults, children, and teenagers. Colder weather has attendees bundled up and toting personal metal heaters. Some attendees, such as 15-year-old Laklyn Haddox, have been coming to the races for years. Haddox herself is not a racer, but enjoys being a spectator. “It’s just fun. I like the sprint cars best when they’re coming out,” Haddox said. “It changes each time. It doesn’t get tiring.” The Hattiesburg Speedway opened for the season on Feb. 28, and races occur weekly every Friday. The Hattiesburg Speedway can be reached on its website https:// www.hattiesburgspeedway.net/ or via its Facebook page.
ENTERTAINMENT MARCH 4, 2020
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‘The Invisible Man’ is stellar update on classic WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER
very time Universal Pictures has stepped up to the plate to take a swing at reviving its classic Universal monsters, it’s been a miss. They tried it with “Dracula Untold.” They tried it with “The Mummy,” and now they’re doing it again with 2020’s “The Invisible Man.” But whereas the previous two films sucked harder than a vampire drinking blood, “The Invisible Man” is a swing-and-a-hit for the studio and its partner, Blumhouse. Although sharing the same title as the H.G. Wells book and its 1931 adaptation, this modern update eschews the mad scientist shenanigans of its source material in favor of telling a story about the effects of emotional abuse and psychological scarring. A woman named Cecilia flees the manipulative, abusive grasp of her boyfriend, Adrian Griffin, in search of a better life. Things seem well at first, but when strange occurrences start taking place, she has to figure out whether they are all in her head, or if some unseen force is toying with her. Make no mistake, there is an invisible man. But whereas the one from the book and original film was all about causing mischief and mayhem, this one is about psychologically scarring and breaking its victim by any means necessary. When the reasoning behind Moss’s torment is revealed, however, it’s all the more shocking. Although “The Invisible Man” is light on bloodshed, when it does happen, it’s
Illustration by Derrick “DJ” Reed |Printz
quick and sudden. Writer and director Leigh Wannell gradually ramps the suspense with each scene, using stellar camera work and direction to give off the right amount of unease. The performances are also excellent, with Elisabeth Moss being the obvious stand-out, particularly in the early scenes where she first encounters her invisible
assailant and has to mime being grabbed and hurt by the attacker. Moss’ character is a tortured soul, and, like the audience, she questions all the circumstances happening to her after she flees her controlling, abusive lover. “The Invisible Man” is quite possibly the first great movie of the year and shows that you
don’t need a gazillion dollars or a major movie star to make a reboot seem hip and cool. What you need is someone capable of delivering a quality product, as Wannell did here. The scariest things are that which we can’t see, and “The Invisible Man” homes in on such fears to craft an eerie, tense, but nonetheless entertaining movie.
Hattiesburg introduces locals to new yoga event MEGHAN FULLER PRINTZ REPORTER
attiesburg locals enjoyed an evening of live music and yoga at the Colludium Brewing Company on Feb. 25. Guests were able to meditate and enjoy tacos provided by Art of Roux, as well as drinks from the Colludium Brewing Company. In addition, they enjoyed tunes from Nashville artist Frank Giovetti and learned yoga from local instructor Daniel Wise. Among the attendees was Kimberly Paola, who enjoys f itness and practices yoga whenever given the chance. She said that practicing yoga is the best thing she has ever done for her health, which is why she enjoys events like these. “The event married three of my favorite past-times,” Paola said. “Yoga, live music and tacos.” The attendees listened to live music while learning new poses. Daniel Wise continued to instruct as many were able to keep up with his poses. Paola, who has been practicing yoga with Wise for two years, said that Wise excels greatly as an instructor. “Daniel offers modif ications for all levels of ability and pays close attention to new students and those with injuries,” Paola said. “He pushes all of us to strive for new levels of achievement.”
Wise, owner and instructor of Power Yoga & Movement of Hattiesburg, said this is the f irst time that an event like this has taken place in Hattiesburg. He said that events like these are great opportunities to introduce residents to yoga, as well as learn new poses. Wise believes in encouraging students and allowing them to reach their highest levels. As a Hattiesburg native, he enjoys teaching locally and feels passionate about being able to make an impact in Hattiesburg residents’ lives. “I enjoy guiding students into f inding the strength they all have inside,” Wise said. “A teacher’s job is to help the student f ind their power.” Frank Giovetti, a Nashville artist who began attending yoga classes in 2018, said that he is grateful to f ind a community f illed with good-hearted people. “My vision for the ideal gig involves anywhere from a night to an entire weekend retreat centered around wellness, namely my brand pillars of optimism, introspection and selfactualization,” Giovetti said. Giovetti was not surprised to see the pride that Hattiesburg residents have for their small city. He said the thing he enjoys the most about traveling and performing is the connections that are made with locals at events such as this one. Giovetti said he felt connected when visiting a college town, and gave advice to students on pursuing their dreams.
Courtesy photo from Daniel Wise
Locals enjoy live music and yoga instructed by Daniel Wise.
“Find your gifts, f ind your passions. Find where they intersect and develop yourself,” Giovetti said. “You can create your own world and your own opportunities if you are truly honest with yourself and willing to put in the work to get there.” As a former competitive athlete, Wise enjoys teaching students but realizes that modif ications sometimes
need to be made in order for them to succeed in their own time and at their own pace. “At my studio in Hattiesburg, we love bringing people together and showing them the transformative power of movement,” Wise said. “Events like this introduce the practice to those who might not go to a traditional yoga studio space.”
OPINION MARCH 4, 2020
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Bloomberg’s ad spending doesn’t ensure candidacy Illustration by Lillie Busch | Printz
WILLIAM LOWERY PRINTZ REPORTER
urn on the TV or get on the internet, and chances are you’ll encounter an ad from Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg explaining why he’s an amazing individual worth voting for. In reality, the overabundance of ads just diminishes his chance for office. Statistics show Bloomberg has spent $233 million combined on television and digital advertising, where as all of his Democratic opponents combined have only spent $100 million. Bloomberg’s late entry into the Democratic primaries means he’s had to pull out all the stops to get people to know who he is and what his goals are. It’s a noble effort, but it only impedes his progress in the long run. Election candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will put a lot of money into advertising to convince people to support them, as well as appearing at rallies and other events. It’s one thing to have money, but it’s another thing to express themselves as someone worth supporting, the latter of which Bloomberg has failed at. A person shouldn’t define themselves by their money or power, but by
who they are. The reason people are showing support for Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders isn’t because of what’s in their bank accounts, but because they’re advocating for policies their supporters agree with. Bloomberg can f launt his accomplishments all he wants, but how he’s defended himself against other candidates in the debates shows he’s all talk, but no substance. Regardless, whoever gets nominated as the Democratic nominee during Super Tuesday will face a bigger battle: beating President Donald Trump. Back in 2016, the then-presidential candidate spent at least $65 million of his own money campaigning against Hilary Clinton, and there’s no telling how much he will put into his re-election campaign. Plus, given his history, he will most likely unload a series of attacks against his Democratic candidate in an effort to make him or her look like the enemy. Yet a candidate shouldn’t rely on too much mud-slinging, or else it will backfire on them. Trump knows how to throw mud at his opponents, so the candidates should know better than to let his tirades get under their skin. Elections aren’t easy, and neither is the process of campaigning for them. Getting yourself out there is key to winning not just the nomination, but also the coveted position of president of the United States. But political ads will only get a person so
far in the election. If someone like Bloomberg wants a chance at winning the nomination, he’s going to have to do more than throw money to win people over.
Julian Assange’s extradition will be journalism’s fall Illustration by Kathleen Hetherington | Printz
DIPIN SUPEDI
PRINTZ REPORTER
ulian Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy to avoid being extradited and imprisoned for life by the United States. Assange is the founder of Wikileaks, a multinational media organization that releases documents showing the abuse of power of ruling classes all over the world. The world of democracy, truth, free press and freedom of speech will be betrayed if Assange is convicted. Assange is accused of various crimes that relate to the military
documents his organization released. In May 2019, he was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison in the U.K. In the United States, he is being indicted on computer intrusion charges and is subject to the violation of espionage law for releasing classified and sensitive information about the military. Described as “[a] six-year archive of classified military documents [that] offers an unvarnished and grim picture of the Afghan war” by the New York Times, these leaked documents portray nothing but the truth. They show the killing of innocent civilians and children by the U.S. military. If Assange is imprisoned, it would be a shameful act of the government imposing its hegemony over the people and trying to conceal such a heinous and immoral crime. The extradition of Assange is propagating strong signals of societal domination and politics by the people at the top. We are being dragged away from good ethics and justice for the sake of a few people acquiring world control by any grotesque means possible. This anti-extradition protest has caused many to advocate for the freedom of press around the world. Roger Waters, Pink
Floyd frontman and political activist, was infuriated by the U.K.’s imprisonment of Assange. He and a group of people marched in London over the immoral acts of the governments around the world. Claiming that Assange is a hero who lifted the veil on the abuse of power from the government, Waters said, “How do we put ourselves in the position of a Julian Assange in solitary confinement or with that kid in Syria or Palestine or Rohingya, being blown to bits by these people in this building (the government) here?” Journalism is not a criminal activity. Officials claiming that he is not a journalist are creating unwarranted boundaries in free press that would not allow such leaks in the future. This is not the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. This pursuit of extradition against Assange shows the decay of morality amongst the powerful people in our world. The country that we pledge allegiance to should show us reciprocity by telling the truth at all times. Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States would not only cost him his life, but also doom free press as a balance to the criminal authorities of the state.
SPORTS
MARCH 4, 2020
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Editorial: Support the arts more, not losing teams THE STUDENT PRINTZ EDITORAL STAFF
Illustration by Alexandria Moore | Printz
n Feb. 27, Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe broke the news that a welfare nonprofit, the Mississippi Community Education Center, gave $5 million to Southern Miss for the $7 million Wellness Center. Although the center is supposed to be multipurpose, it’s infamously known for being a new and improved volleyball facility that’s getting in the way of 200 parking spots. Finally, our anger toward its construction is justified. We know that the construction of a volleyball court can’t help those below the poverty line. Volleyball players and other athletes do not deserve this criticism and hatred for this facility.This is not meant to disrespect any of the hardworking student-athletes, but that does not mean they should have millions of dollars donated to their poorly performing programs. Although we agree that the nonprofit
is at fault for misusing funds, Southern Miss is at fault for taking the money. Why are we accepting money to help a losing team? The volleyball team won two games out of 28 during the 2019 season. The university sure does love to talk about how Southern Miss is one of only 37 accredited schools in this country for theatre, art and design, dance and music when it’s convenient to them, but that talk never turns into them funding those departments. Instead of funneling money into losing sports teams, the university could have shown support for the art majors who have actually shown some form of success. Graphic design students broke records just this past month at the Addy Awards with 60 awards. On top of hosting 27 schools at the Southeast Journalism Conference this year, the university’s journalism department won 20 awards at this year’s Best Newspaper Contest. Additionally, the university’s theatre and dance department won 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the hair and makeup design category at this year’s Southeastern Theatre Conference. The School of Music’s Southern Chorale also just returned from Jeju International Choir Festival & Symposium in South Korea, where they were the only university invited from the United States. These successes would make one think that the university would be more than willing to give more funding to these departments rather than the athletes playing in empty arenas. Let’s not forget that the university had to campaign to get 30,000 fans at five games during the 2019-20 season because everyone leaves during halftime.
S t u d e n t - at h letes have already received so many university benefits. The $1.8 million, 18,000 square foot, second-floor renovation of the library is already dedicated to helping out student-athletes; when will the art students get an entire renovated floor of a library just to help them understand college algebra? We would never get relocated to a bigger space. In just 2018, The Student Printz staff had to fight to keep our newsroom. Maybe the problem might not be Southern Miss administrators or the Athletic Foundation. Perhaps the problem is that arts alum are not donating money for new facilities. If that’s the case, then maybe it’s worth considering why they aren’t. So, what should the university do now? The university needs to give the money to organizations that have proven they help impoverished people like John Jones, who live in downtown Hattiesburg. There’s plenty of organizations in Hattiesburg who serve underserved populations we’re sure would appreciate the money: Edward’s Street Fellowship Center, Shafer Center for Crisis Intervention, Lighthouse Rescue Mission, Extra Table, Fieldhouse for Homeless, AIDS Services Coalition, Habitat for Humanity and there are so many more. Volleyball arenas do not help underserved people but these organizations do. Mississippi Today’s article has been shared more than 400 times across social media, and most of the replies aren’t nice. We hope that students, faculty and staff will continue to speak out against the facility. If you have thoughts on this is-
sue, please submit a letter to the editor to printzeditors@gmail.com. All opinions, even those that disagree with us, are welcome. Sincerely, The Student Printz Editorial Staff